The Travel Guitar Thread

[Pickcity]

My beater is a mid 70's Yamaha FG-110-1 that I picked up at a antiques store late last year for $70. It plays and sounds great. Structurally it is perfect. The nut width is slightly narrow for my taste, but whatever. It still plays great. Excellent for fingerstyle, and is becoming my steady songwriting sidekick.

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by Aural Eloquence

I've had an Art & Lutherie Ami for years. It goes everywhere with me, and does exactly what I need it to do.

I agree! I just got the Ami in my signature this week for CDN$80.00, w/travel case. Beat up top, but structurally sound. I just replaced the decade old strings that were on it w/some D'Addario Coated EXP26 Custom Lights, and this thing is incredible - I can even strum at a moderate level, and it sings. It's so light, and covers all the styles I play - it will definitely be my travel/camping/backpacking guitar. I'm pretty certain it'd fit in my backpack with a few books, toiletries, and some clothes, if I packed right. Brilliant instrument.

[mercy]

I think the best travel guitar as that is generally understood a Voyage Air as it is the same size as a standard guitar and will give a better sound than anything miniaturized.

[Rev Tim T]

My wife and I both use Luna Safari's as our travel guitars. She uses a Luna Safari nylon and I use a Safari Mahogany. These are laminate guitars, easy to play and sound great. Not so loud that we worry about disturbing someone while in the hotel. Not so expensive if they were to be stolen from car or hotel.

I actually use mine in the nursing home and at graveside services when the weather is bad or have a long walk from the car to the graveside.

[BoneDigger]

The Cordoba Mini M is a wonderful little guitar for travel. It's a nylon string, but is just the perfect size and has great tone.

[bufflehead]

My main travel guitar is a Big Baby Taylor. When it's not on the road it lives in my sailboat. I've also got a Washburn Rover for kayak trips, but only because the BBT won't fit into a drybag (or through the hatches of my yak).

[Tico]

Originally Posted by bufflehead

My main travel guitar is a Big Baby Taylor. When it's not on the road it lives in my sailboat. I've also got a Washburn Rover for kayak trips, but only because the BBT won't fit into a drybag (or through the hatches of my yak).

+1

IMO the BBT is the ultimate travel guitar.
It competes, in terms of tone and playability, with fine full-sized guitars.
Probably because unlike nearly all other 'travelers' it has FULL scale of 25.5".
The arched back may also contribute to its amazing tone, bass and projection.

I love Taylor's Big Babies so much I bought two.

[CASD57]

Anything in the 3/4-Travel size with a Solid Cedar top ?

[EverettWilliams]

Can’t say enough good stuff about the Collings Baby for travel - while it sounds a little small when sitting in a room with full sized guitars, I have not ever taken it with me somewhere and said “man, I really wish I had a real guitar.” It’s a “real” guitar through and through and it leaves nothing on the table. The problem is that even a little guitar is still relatively big - RJs, many A318/319/320s, and 73s with the NG interior seldom fit any guitar in the overhead (except I suppose for the folding kind), so there are few places where the Baby can go that an OM in a Calton can’t and, in bigger planes, they all work. So, if I really want to go portable, I’ll bring a uke or a mandolin.

And I just don’t think one can beat a Waterloo for a beater - those things are light, lively, and lend themselves to a knock and tumblr existence. I adore both the WL-S (which is just enchanting) and the WL-14X.

[Oldguy64]

I initially bought a GS Mini for travel.
Because it’s wood, and my wife knows how I get about guitars, it travelled to church once or twice, and mostly from the couch to my bedroom.
It wasn’t allowed to come in vacation, because it wouldn’t fit in the vehicle, and my wife was worried about it and the heat in the vehicle.
It eventually moved on in a good trade for a 110e.

My next attempt at a travel guitar was a Squire Stratacoustic.
It was small enough because we traveled with less people, and it did play okay, but it sounded pretty bad.

When my mom was sick, we traveled in my wife’s micro SUV. And my Godin multiac came along. It was a tight fit but I was glad to have it.

For my mom’s funeral, I took the larger suv and we made room for my then, newly acquired Yairi GY1.
Again, it was not the ideal travel companion, but it held up.

Currently, I’m on vacation, and at Walt Disney world.
My travel companion, thanks to Ted, is my Journey Instruments OF660.
It’s great to have along, it fits in the sedan.
I think, I’m done futzing with any other guitar for travel.

[bluesfreek]

Originally Posted by Everton FC

I agree! I just got the Ami in my signature this week for CDN$80.00, w/travel case. Beat up top, but structurally sound. I just replaced the decade old strings that were on it w/some D'Addario Coated EXP26 Custom Lights, and this thing is incredible - I can even strum at a moderate level, and it sings. It's so light, and covers all the styles I play - it will definitely be my travel/camping/backpacking guitar. I'm pretty certain it'd fit in my backpack with a few books, toiletries, and some clothes, if I packed right. Brilliant instrument.

Congrats on getting that Ami for such a killer deal! The local used guitar shop has an old one and they are asking three times as much as you paid for yours. I had one about ten years ago. They are cool little guitars.

[JohnW63]

Yamaha SLG.



Headphones on if I want to be the only one who is listening or a small amp if other want to hear it, or if I want to play with pedals.

At about 600 bucks, it's not too pricey either.

[slewis]

Guess I’m in the same boat with Ted as far as my favorite travel guitars go. I’ve had a Go Grande for maybe 15 years and think it’s an awesome guitar for its size. Close to perfect, I think, because I place a lot of priority on compactness in a true travel guitar, and it’s definitely compact! But a few years ago I also spoiled myself by getting a Blackbird Rider — which is a little bit closer to perfect. I love ‘em both but the Rider gets the majority of the travel time.

[pukematrix]

For cross country car trips, it's hard to not take my CA Cargo, so I don't fret (ba-dum) about it deconstructing in the car when we have to dodge into restaurant or something along the way.

I don't typically take a guitar with me on my flights, as I prefer to never check and usually have a small international size carry-on and then my backpack. The stress of whether or not I'll be able to claim a closet or enough overhead for a full size or 3/4 size instrument led me to track down a Brunner Outdoor Guitar from a forum member a few months ago (Basic model, one from their made in Vietnam, assembled in Switzerland run). It Not as nice as the earlier Brunners posted above, but does the job. In any event, in packed form, it takes up less of a footprint than my backpack, so shouldn't be an issue on most of the aircraft I find myself on.

I'm planning on trying that out for my next international trip, with the goal of carrying just the Brunner and my Osprey Tropos backpack (32L). I do two-week trips to India at least a couple times a year and have fine tuned my packing to the point that I think I may be able to get away with it. Plus, I always have the extra space in the body of the Brunner for a couple of small stuff sacks full of socks, etc., if the Osprey gets tight.

Austin

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

My beater is a mid 70's Yamaha FG-110-1 that I picked up at a antiques store late last year for $70. It plays and sounds great. Structurally it is perfect. The nut width is slightly narrow for my taste, but whatever. It still plays great. Excellent for fingerstyle, and is becoming my steady songwriting sidekick.

I'd take an FG-75, as a travel guitar, as well!